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Thursday, May 01, 2008

Day of Prayer

Thank you God for enabling us with the desire to pursue our freewill in setting aside one day a year when all believers in America theoretically take time out to bow their heads out of reverence.

We can add this to Christmas and Easter as the things Christians are supposed to participate in to keep calling themselves Christians.

I have so many snide, snaky comments about faith-based PR for the sake of PR, not faith. Ask a Christian that actually prides him or herself on following Christ, and "National Day of Prayer" will not make the top ten list of things they do. Read the Bible daily, lead a Sunday School class, teach at Vacation Bible School, sing in the church choir, volunteer at the local library/homeless shelter/soup kitchen/insert other organization here... these things they will mention.

But pray on National Day of Prayer is not mentioned. Because I can't see for the life of me how it's about prayer. It's about reminding the nation that prayer is no longer tolerated in schools and government buildings, and that a large contingency is still upset by it. It's about flexing freedom of religion muscles by forcing people to remember that there is a difference between freedom OF religion and freedom FROM religion. It's about claiming one day besides Easter and Christmas that is decidedly more religious than pagan anymore. But it is not about prayer. And it never will be. Prayer is something that occurs very privately between a believer or a group of believers and their god. There are even biblical verses against praying for the sake of showing others one prays.

If I thought any of my readers cared about what they were, I'd look them up. As it is, I reiterate that this day is one for pomp and circumstance. Someone cue the organist as we bow our heads in benediction. Don't forget to leave your tithes and offerings on your way out.